Great Minds
by TheScreamingViking
Summary: Genesis does not want a student and Kunsel does not want a mentor. If they occasionally stand next to each other when voicing general pieces of advice that is entirely coincidental. A short story of an unlikely friendship that takes off despite everyone's best efforts.
1. Chapter 1

"Can anyone," Genesis began, sending a scathing look around at the startled occupants of the SOLDIER lounge, "anyone at all, tell me why you do not use a summon materia on a low-level enemy?"

He still held his sword in his hand, a wealth of gold feathers softly falling to the ground around him.

Kunsel sent a look of commiseration to Zack, who had ducked his head and was rubbing the back of his neck. His endearing happy-go-lucky attitude was clearly wasted on Genesis.

The other SOLDIERs in the lounge were deathly silent, most either remembering they had important business elsewhere or desperately trying to disappear into the carpet.

"No one?" Genesis asked in a low voice and Kunsel was suddenly aware that it would be very bad for everyone if he didn't get the answer he was looking for. Resigned to suffer the irate Commander's attention, Kunsel cleared his throat.

"Because if the summon isn't given enough of a challenge it won't disappear when the enemy is defeated," he said, not making eye contact even though he was wearing a helmet and nobody would know if he did. "It'll hang around absorbing all your mana until you finally run dry."

"Precisely," Genesis said, flicking his hair disdainfully, but calmer for having received the answer he was after. "And it is not appropriate to have Chocomog following you around HQ all day," he spat at Zack, sounding personally offended at the situation. "To ensure you have learnt something from your feat of tremendous folly, Zackary Fair, you are going to spend the rest of the day scrubbing all the toilets on this level."

"Yes, sir," Zack said, wisely not arguing.

"Sorry, man," Kunsel mumbled at Zack.

"Do you wish to join him, SOLDIER?" Genesis snapped.

"No, sir," he wasn't _that_ sorry.

Zack had signed up for the mentor program. He'd specifically asked to have the sole attention of a First Class. Even if Genesis was only covering for Angeal for the day, Zack had gotten into this mess all on his own. Kunsel knew better than to ask for such attention. He was perfectly happy following orders, completing his missions, and improving at his own rate. Having a personal drill sergeant yelling in his ears didn't sound helpful. Besides, he was perfectly capable of tracking down information on his own.

Genesis swept out of the room, Zack trailing along behind him like a sad puppy.

Kunsel went back to reading the instruction manual for engine repairs on second generation Guard Spiders.

* * *

A day later, Kunsel stood cornered in front of the elevator as a thousand curse words raced through his mind.

He was going to be late. Dental appointments were hard to come by in Midgar, and if he wasn't there in the next ten minutes, they'd skip him and he'd never get another booking.

But Vice President Rufus had him trapped. He couldn't just leave for a different elevator or muscle his way through, a mean looking Turk was watching him with a sneer.

Rufus was a petty brat, barely fifteen, skinny and pale. Nobody even pretended he had his job for any reason beside nepotism. And he took perverse pleasure in seeing those who had actually worked for their positions sweat before him.

"Of course, you're only a mindless thug," the little Shinra said placidly, obviously trying to goad him. "SOLDIERs all are, you know. Easily replaced grunts and lab rats, desperately scrambling for recognition."

Rufus probably thought it was an original insult, but entry-level secretaries spat out that sort of thing every other day. It was nowhere near as infuriating as the thought of being late to the dentist. Mako didn't fix cavities, dammit!

Rufus waited for a response, a lazy smirk on his face. Well, if he wanted a response, Kunsel could play ball, but he wanted it known that the little Shinra had forced his hand.

"Should I pass that message on to your brother, sir?" he asked politely.

Rufus' practiced sneer fell into a look of uncertainty. He shouldn't have bothered him when he had places to be, if he didn't want to be bothered back.

"Here, I'll write it down." He got out his phone and started typing, "…Lazard of SOLDER…easily replaced…desperately scrambling for recognition. From Vice President Rufus."

Rufus looked like he'd just been hit, an uncharacteristic flash of shame in his eyes. The Turk stood up straighter. Kunsel waited patiently for a reply. He knew it was a low blow: mentioning the half-brother Rufus wasn't allowed to even acknowledge, forced to work his way up the ranks while Rufus was handed everything on a platter. It was probably the only thing Rufus had ever experienced shame over. And officially, a secret.

Rufus quickly recovered himself and pulled on an expression of disdain he hadn't fully grown into yet. "I am perfectly capable of delivering my own messages." He turned and left without another word, Turk trailing along behind him. Clearly he'd lost his appetite for flaunting his inherited success.

Kunsel sighed with relief and reached for the elevator, pocketing his phone. Okay, key card. Where was his key card? He patted down his pockets.

"You're very well-informed." A cultured voice said.

His head snapped up to see Commander Rhapsodos putting his own key card into the elevator control and watching him out of the corner of his eye.

Where had he come from? The corridor had been empty just a second ago. Kunsel looked back down the hallway, as though he expected there to be some kind of trail.

"I would recommend keeping information like that to yourself," Genesis said over his shoulder as he entered the elevator and selected the executive floor, which Kunsel did not have the clearance for.

The doors shut, leaving him alone in the open corridor. He stood frozen for a moment, wondering if Genesis was likely to get him in trouble. Lazard probably didn't want his heritage to be public knowledge, but Genesis probably knew how to keep a secret. He glanced at the time.

Then he swore and sprinted for the nearest stairwell.

* * *

Genesis was a busy man. How Angeal had roped him into babysitting Zack for the afternoon _again_ , he would never know. Perhaps he wouldn't mind so much if the boy was at least a little intelligent. Angeal was proud of the skill in combat he had developed – and yes, fine, he wasn't the worst – but he was still so dull that Genesis was impressed that he was a Second Class at all.

It wasn't by accident that Genesis wasn't signed up for the mentorship program. The entire business was dreadfully tiresome. And there were still thirty minutes left to go before he could send Zack on his way.

But then, thank blessed Minerva, an alarm blasted through the PA system. There was an attack on this level and securing the building and neutralizing the threat took priority.

He sent Zack to secure the exits, and hunted down the threat himself.

He followed the harsh echo of what sounded like a mini gun and the screech of tearing metal down the corridors.

The wall of one of the larger training rooms was torn open. In the centre, amidst broken equipment and rubble from the wall, stood a towering, bright red Guard Spider, with a gun he'd never seen before on its tail.

A Second Class in a standard issue helmet was holding off the malfunctioning machine from a trio of unarmed troopers. His arms were shaking from the impact of each blow and his shield materia flickered weakly under the heavy gunfire.

Genesis leapt into action, shooting a burst of electricity at the mechanical beast. Its focus swung around to him immediately and he sprang sideways to dodge the tail. He lashed out, trying to sever the gun.

His sword barely even dented it.

Ah. This must be a new model. That explained the unfamiliar paint job.

A wave of magic washed over the machine and its movements slowed, its tail trying to adjust its aim to the weight suddenly dragging it down. Genesis seized the moment the Second had created and leapt over it, smashing the main gun with all his strength. The metal shrieked and tore apart.

The Second Class dodged its pincers, then bashed at them with his sword, making no headway at all.

Genesis looked critically at its bulky frame, while lunging out of range of the still dangerous tail, and saw no obvious weak spots. Damn Scarlet, these pests of hers were resilient.

"Behind the left leg," the Second called out, ducking under a snapping pincer and then leaping over the next. "There's a service panel, behind the front left leg! It's–"

A pincer smacked the side of his helmet and he stumbled back, and then threw up a weak shield. "It's vulnerable!"

Without stopping to question how the Second knew that, Genesis slid beneath the barbed tail and smashed the metal panelling beneath its left flank. A hidden door snapped off. He plunged his sword into the exposed wealth of wires and circuit boards.

The guard spider came to a screeching halt, jerking wildly, some parts of it sparking dangerously, before it collapsed on its side in a great heap.

"Thank Gaia," the Second said, his shoulders drooping.

He recognized that voice. Genesis' eyes left the smouldering wreckage, perfectly stabbed through a tiny weak spot that was completely invisible normally, and focused on the other SOLDIER. With the helmet there was little to see, but the voice was definitely the same.

"Get rid of this mess," he snapped at the three troopers who leapt to follow his command. He turned back to the Second Class. "This way, SOLDIER."

The Second paused to scoop up his bag and then followed. Genesis led him at a brisk pace out of the ruined training room into a small nearby side room. The Second seemed to realise this was trouble when he saw it was a dusty storage room. Genesis whirled on him and held his sword at his throat. The Second stumbled back against the wall, and then held perfectly still.

"Who are you?" Genesis said, deceptively calm.

"Sergeant Kunsel, sir, Second Class SOLDIER," he said, his voice striving for steady but falling short. The bottom of the helmet bumped against the tip of the red blade.

"Would you like to explain yourself, Sergeant?"

"Sir?" The helmet tipped sideways in confusion.

"You know exactly how to disarm Shinra's newest security drones."

"The schematics are available to company employees," he said, swallowing heavily. "The previous models went haywire so often I thought it might be a good idea to know how to disarm these ones too."

"These guard spiders are brand new. How could you possibly know that so soon?"

"They aren't new, sir," he said apologetically. "That was a second generation guard spider. They've only just let them out of the Weapons Department, but they've been functional for six months now. They're already working on the third generation."

Genesis felt his frown deepen in confusion. He lowered his sword but didn't sheath it.

"And this is your idea of recreational reading?" he asked, irritated at this SOLDIER for being strange enough for him to notice.

Moving slowly and clearly telegraphing all of his movements, Kunsel opened his bag and pulled out a book. _First Generation Motor Ball Repair Manual_ was printed across the cover.

"I like reading," he said sheepishly.

Genesis could hardly be angry at him for that. But the guard spider wasn't the only matter that had gotten his attention.

"And which manual did you read to discover both Director Lazard and Vice President Rufus' pressure points?" he asked politely, taking petty joy in the way Kunsel's shoulders stiffened. "You say you like reading, and perhaps you do, but isn't it convenient that you happen to know how to disarm Shinra's automated defences, as well as how to manipulate some of its highest-ranking executives?"

The Second cleared his throat awkwardly, holding his hand up to his mouth, despite wearing a helmet.

"I, uh, I used to go out with Rufus' secretary," he ducked his head.

It was terribly convenient.

"I just have a good memory, sir, and I like to know things ahead of time rather than be caught unprepared," he said, before looking around the storage room and mumbling, "in a closet."

Genesis sheathed his sword. Frankly, the whole situation was ridiculous. The boy should be ashamed of himself for dragging them both into it.

"How does one disarm a guard ball?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"There's an emergency deactivation switch behind the main gun," he replied.

Genesis raised an eyebrow at him.

"You wouldn't by any chance know how to manipulate Scarlet as well, would you?" he asked scathingly.

"No, sir, and I wouldn't be brave enough to try even if I did."

"I somehow doubt that," he said. "Either you're a Wutai spy or a Turk plant."

"Sir–"

"Or just an ordinary Second Class who knows more than is good for him," he finished darkly.

Kunsel's aborted panic had him frozen, his helmet fixed on Genesis.

"Whatever the truth, I will be keeping an eye on you." He swung the door open. When it shut behind him, he heard the boy let out a deep breath and collapse lightly against the wall.

* * *

Genesis ran through identical corridors, knowing that somewhere in this infernal building Sephiroth was probably making better time than he was. He had let Sephiroth choose the setting, so naturally they were in the virtual copy of the Mako cannon in Junon.

He skidded to a halt at a junction. He recognized this corner; about thirty metres down the adjacent hallway there would be a wealth of ceiling mounted defence turrets programmed to open fire the second he stepped out from cover.

It shouldn't have been an issue, except they had both agreed to not use materia this time. He could just leap out and face the barrage, but that was an inelegant solution.

He needed to go that way. If he didn't start running, Sephiroth would beat him there, tear through the last of the defences, and then destroy the cannon without him and then he would have lost.

Again.

There was nothing for it. He drew his sword, and was ready to sprint out from cover when he was struck by a brilliant idea. He sheathed his sword and flipped open his phone.

Soon it was ringing while he waited impatiently for it to be picked up. It clicked.

"Kunsel speaking," the voice echoed thin and tinny through the tiny speaker. It sounded like he had a mouthful of food.

"How does one deactivate the security turrets guarding the Mako cannon control booth?" Genesis asked.

"Commander Rhapsodos?" he choked and coughed on something. "How did you get this number?"

"Answer the question, Sergeant."

There was a pause on the other end.

"Am I going to be accused of being a spy if I do?" Kunsel asked.

"You'll be charged with defying a direct order if you don't," he replied coolly.

He heard a resigned sigh.

"There are bundles of wires running along the ceiling of the corridors leading to the control room. Cutting the third and fifth bundles will deactivate them. Don't cut the fourth or all the doors will seal."

He looked up, and sure enough large bunches of wiring ran in a line towards the control booth straight ahead.

"Is the control booth password locked?"

"The VR version isn't," Kunsel replied.

Perfect.

* * *

Kunsel waited almost patiently for the elevator to take him up to the right level.

It was remarkable how Shinra could improve upon the design of the human body, arguably the most complex system in the world, but they still couldn't figure out faster elevators.

He mused on the deeper meanings of this conundrum, idly watching the numbers tick by one by one at a snail's pace. Oh good, only seventy three left to go.

It stopped at one of the lower levels and Genesis strolled in. His eyes narrowed when he saw Kunsel.

His idle thoughts screeched to a halt. He saluted promptly and cursed the day he had gotten a First Class' attention.

For a moment it looked like the ride could be made in blissful, awkward silence, until Genesis broke it.

"How did you know about the mako cannon's security systems?" he asked quietly.

"I did three rotations as a guard at the Junon base," he replied, "and the guy who programmed the VR setting asked me to double-check it for inaccuracies."

Genesis lifted his chin. "Is that so?"

Oh for goodness sake. Was he to be punished for having a good memory? That seemed wholly unfair.

"Even if I were a spy, how else could I possibly know that?" he said, striving for an indifferent tone.

"You might be a Turk, infiltrating SOLDIER and reporting back to Tseng."

"Then wouldn't I just claim ignorance to shake you off?"

Genesis hummed, still looking at him from the corner of his eyes. "What else do you know?" he asked, his eyes scanning his helmet, as though searching for clues.

"What do you want to know?"

Genesis thought about it.

"Is Sephiroth's secretary an infiltrator from his fanclub?" he finally asked, half a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes. So is his house keeper, the guy who cleans his office, and the lady who waters his pet cacti." All you had to do was look at the fanclub newsletters to know that. The 'Cactus Weekly' column wasn't exactly subtle.

Genesis looked stunned. "What about my secretary?"

"Oh no, she hates you."

He pursed his lips. Kunsel held back a laugh.

"Much obliged, Sergeant." Genesis looked straight ahead and scowled at the slowly climbing numbers.

"Happy to help, sir."

* * *

When Genesis had said he'd be keeping an eye on him, Kunsel had assumed it would be scathing orders and suspicious looks until the irate man forgot about it. Apparently he had completely misunderstood the situation.

"Is Scarlet actually allergic to lemongrass or is she just being melodramatic?" Genesis' voice asked through the phone.

Kunsel still didn't know how the First had ended up with his phone number, but he didn't hesitate to make good use of it.

"It's a very mild allergy," he replied. "It makes her break out in a rash, but it's not strong enough to kill her or even warrant medical attention."

"Perfect."

Then the line went dead. As always he tried not to think about why Genesis might need to know that. Then his mind supplied a whole range of scenarios that might demand that information, and he texted him tips on how to get the smell out of his hands. Better safe than sorry.

The text beneath it was from the previous day.

 _'Where would one find a Lunar Harp?'_

And the days before that:

 _'Is there any chance my secretary is an assassin?"_

 _'Where am I most likely to find a bronto corpse?'_

That one was from Zack. The next was from Genesis again.

 _'Does Lazard check his emails in the morning? And is he dyslexic?'_

And his current favourite, asked without introduction or apology:

' _Hangvr cuer?'_

* * *

A shrieking alarm blared out into the night. Kunsel shot straight up in his bed, his hand instinctively flying to find his sword. He overbalanced and toppled out of bed, knocking over the bedside table and the reading lamp on his way down. The shrieking continued enthusiastically, and he briefly considered if he should stop, drop, and roll.

It finally dawned on him it was just his phone.

He fumbled to pick it up and answered.

"This is Kunsel–"

"I need a cake recipe," Genesis said. "And it can't just be some average, bake sale cake. I need something magnificent."

"It's four in the morning!"

"Yes, and if I don't have an amazing cake by 6 am we are all going to be sorry."

It took a moment before Kunsel's thoughts could catch up with him. Then it hit him.

"You forgot Sephiroth's birthday."

"How the hell do you know about that? He doesn't tell anyone–you know what? I don't care. I don't want to know, just tell me you know a good recipe."

Kunsel pinched the bridge of his nose and seriously considered sending him away empty-handed. Then he let out a sigh of resignation.

"You're going to need mascarpone, flour, baking soda, four eggs, sugar, butter, cocoa, and half a cup of bourbon."

"Excellent." The clattering of kitchen utensils rattled in the background. "Where does one buy mascarpone at 4 am?"

* * *

Genesis stared at him across the table.

"If one were taking the secret path from the Leviathan Shrine at Ymir Cove to the hidden temple at the river, would you turn right at the great Gongagan pine, or after the Mako cave?" he asked .

"Neither," Kunsel said around a mouthful of protein bar. "Continue on until you get to the river, then you'll find a secret passage behind the waterfall. After that, take a left at the toppled statue."

"Have you actually been to Northern Wutai?"

"Nope."

"Hm."

At first it had been suspicious. Then useful, life-saving, and occasionally even amusing.

Now it was suspicious again. Ridiculous, really. And infuriating. There was no way any one person could possibly know so much, and for so little reason. It just wasn't possible, especially not when you lived the busy life of a SOLDIER. It wasn't practical.

"What's the most poisonous animal in the world?" Genesis asked.

"Wutaian dart frog," he replied.

"How many teeth on an adult malboro?"

"Between 370 and 385, depending on age and subspecies."

He glared at the shiny surface of the helmet.

"What is the final stanza of _Loveless_?"

Kunsel snorted. "If it's ever found you'll be the first person I tell."

Alright, he had to give the brat that one. But he wasn't done yet.

"When was the Hardy Daytona invented?" he asked.

"1987."

"What's Heidegger's middle name?"

"Stanley."

"How many summon types are there?"

There was a pause.

"Fourteen," Kunsel replied, more hesitant than usual.

"Ha! Sixteen!" Genesis cried, standing in triumph. "There are sixteen main classifications and over 23 sub-groups." Then he sat again, having made his point. The boy wasn't infallible or omniscient.

But it had been such an easy question.

"How do you not already know that?" he asked, cutting his eyes at him suspiciously.

He shrugged and leaned comfortably back in his seat.

"Materia isn't really my strong point."

Genesis stared at him further.

"I've found the weakness in your repertoire. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

"Of course not," he said with another shrug. "You've found my weakness, and I've found someone who can tell me all about materia."

"And why would I do that?" he drawled, impressed at his nerve despite himself.

"Why would I take you step-by-step through the world's best cake recipe at four in the morning?"

* * *

"Sergeant Kunsel," Genesis barked.

Kunsel sat up from the bench press. He hadn't even known Genesis was in the room, but then he had a knack for showing up unexpectedly.

"What is a third level fire materia called?" he asked.

"Firaga. I'm not completely stupid." He rolled his shoulders, feeling the distinct strain from a good workout.

"And why does firaga shatter when combined with bio, while fira does not?"

"Uh…" He had no idea.

"Congratulations," Genesis said, looking thrilled. "You may consider that homework."

"You know, barking questions I can't answer isn't all that helpful."

"I'm pointing out your weak spots. If you don't want to fix them then that is your failing." He swept out of the room again.

Kunsel starred at the weight rack and wondered why firaga shattered.

* * *

 _A/N: An ode to two of my favourite characters. Only one chapter to go._


	2. Chapter 2

Genesis looked down at the training room below and scowled.

Kunsel and Zack were sparring. It was a friendly fight, with standard swords but no materia, and fast paced for Second Classes. Zack, who was broad and heavily muscled even for a SOLDIER, was overpowering Kunsel and driving him back.

Tall and wiry, Kunsel was trying to block the worst of the assault and doing a poor job of it. He just didn't have the right build to shrug off attacks the way Zack did.

In short, Kunsel was losing. Badly.

Genesis drew himself to his full height and marched down to the training room.

He threw both doors open. The match paused, both of the Seconds looking over at the noise.

"Did you need something, sir?" Kunsel asked cautiously. Always polite, even when he had the nerve to lose a spar – like a green recruit who had never held a sword before instead of the most intelligent SOLDIER currently in Second Class and one who was receiving advice from _Genesis himself_.

This would not stand.

"Fair. Out," he snapped.

"Uh, sir?" Zack sheathed his sword but didn't move.

"Get out!" he thundered. Zack collected his stuff and sent Kunsel a look of commiseration before scuttling away.

Genesis drew his sword. Kunsel looked like he might be sweating underneath that helmet.

Then Genesis struck. The Second held his sword up to parry and was thrown back. He tried to retaliate, but his efforts were easily evaded or deflected.

Genesis threw attack after attack. Kunsel blocked and nearly dropped his sword from the force of the blows. He recovered and tried to parry again, but was thrown completely off his feet.

Genesis waited patiently for him to pick himself back up. Then he struck again. Kunsel retaliated while he could, and Genesis dodged, ducked and evaded. Finally, after being thrown to the ground several times, Kunsel blocked at an oblique angle so the red sword glanced off and he kept his feet.

Genesis' scowl fell away, and the bombardment turned into an actual spar. Kunsel dodged, deflected, and dodged again, attacking the few chance openings he found. Genesis made him work for it, but Kunsel held his own.

He didn't have the enhancements to keep it up, though – not at this pace, not against a First. His speed dropped off and Genesis smacked him in the abdomen with the hilt of his sword. It stole his breath and knocked him flat.

Kunsel took a deep breath and let his head rest on the floor.

"And that," Genesis began, sheathing his sword, "is how someone of your body type is meant to fight. I sincerely hope you've learned something."

Then he swept back out of the room.

"Thanks, sir," a parched and tired voice called after him.

* * *

Kunsel's phone buzzed with an incoming text late one night. He was pretty sure Genesis was out on a mission somewhere.

' _Touch Me's aren't real, are they?'_

His stomach and back were no longer bruised from the impromptu spar, but his arms still ached so badly they felt at risk of falling off at any moment. He smiled and sent a reply.

 _'Of course not.'_

Several minutes later he received a long string of messages.

 _'eetjrwv'_

 _'hwfxtis?fffff'_

 _'fcku ouy'_

 _'knsel yur deda'_

To each of them he calmly grinned and replied _'Sorry, sir, I didn't understand that. Could you try again, please?'_

About an hour later his phone buzzed one last time for the night.

 _'I hate you.'_

* * *

3.15pm: _'Does Heidegger hide alcohol in his office?'_

3:17pm: _'Behind the health and safety pamphlets.'_

3.20pm: _'How fortuitous. He keeps a copy of his computer password there as well.'_

3.20pm _: 'What's the password?'_

3.22pm: _'Telling you that would be against company policy.'_

3.25pm: _'So is breaking into Heidegger's office.'_

3.26pm: _'Password: UpyoursScarlet79, Uppercase U.'_

3.28pm: _'Heh.'_

* * *

"You are way tougher than I thought," Zack said, sitting on the floor and studiously peeling all the labels off a group of empty water bottles.

Kunsel looked up from his desk. The five thousand piece puzzle was taking longer than he'd expected. He shouldn't have picked a landscape – the Nibel mountain range was pretty enough, but it was also half blue sky, half white ice.

"Thanks." He had no idea what Zack was on about, but he was probably right.

"I mean talking Genesis into mentoring you," he said, leaning back against the threadbare base of the couch. "I don't know how you did it, or even why you'd want to, but it's freaking impressive anyway. I can't believe you're not dead yet."

Kunsel dropped the piece he was holding.

"He's not my mentor," he said with a frown. "I don't need a mentor."

Zack snorted. "What is he then?"

"He's a contact," he said, rearranging the pieces he'd disturbed.

"One who is giving you fighting tips."

"Who is a SOLDIER," he pointed out, scowling at him. It didn't matter that Zack couldn't see it, he could usually tell. "SOLDIERs have been known to spar with each other on occasion."

"Uh-huh."

"Maybe he's my friend."

"Hey, man, it's cool. Angeal's my friend too, as well as my mentor."

"Yeah, but I don't have a mentor."

"Oh, because you're too good, right?" Zack said with a grin, juggling two of the empty plastic bottles.

"Yeah. That's right," he replied, before ducking under a bottle lobbed at his head. "Only losers need mentors." He ducked another projectile and deflected the third back. It smacked Zack in the nose.

He snorted a laugh, and Zack pretended he was offended.

"Maybe Genesis can teach you not to be such a loser then," Zack said, retaliating with a handful of water bottles.

One of them smacked against the edge of the table and knocked half the puzzle pieces out of place.

Kunsel cried out in pain at the sight.

"Oh, sorry man." Zack scratched the back of his neck.

"You are fixing that."

"Aw, damnit."

* * *

Genesis' room lit up at four in the morning. He threw his arm over his face and prayed that it would go away. He could ignore it. It was just a text.

It buzzed again and the light reflected on the ceiling. With a growl he slapped at his bedside table, feeling for the offending phone.

 _'Can Cure materia be made to work on poisons?'_ Kunsel had asked, with perfect grammar and punctuation as always, regardless of the hour.

 _Honestly_. The brat knew where Heidegger kept his secret stash of 80 year old port wine, but he didn't know this?

 _'No, not even when cast at four in the morning.'_

He plonked the phone on his bedside table and pointedly turned his back to it, pulling the blankets up around his ears.

But guilt must have crawled in with him because not a minute later he rolled back over and snatched the phone off the table, scowling at the glowing little screen.

 _'How bad is the patient?_ ' he asked.

The reply took a while. He considered just turning the phone off, but then, Sephiroth had loved the birthday cake.

He would give him five minutes. Then he was going back to sleep and Kunsel was on his own.

' _Nt doing s good.'_

He looked at the reply with bleary eyes for a minute, puzzled at the sudden change. Then he shot straight up, abruptly knocking half a dozen pillows aside.

 _'Where are you? What sort of poison is it? Do you have Esuna or an antidote?'_

The reply came swiftly.

' _In wutai. Dontno what poison it is. Was on a ninjas sword.'_ The phone buzzed again. _'No esuna.'_

' _Can you buy it or steal it from somewhere?'_ he asked.

There was a long wait with no reply. He checked the time since he'd last gotten a response. Three minutes ago; that wasn't that long. Kunsel was probably just still typing. He got up and stood restlessly in the centre of his dark bedroom.

He checked the phone again. No reply yet. He turned on the bedside table lamp because it seemed a good thing to do.

No reply. He looked away and refrained from checking again.

What if no reply came? What if–?

His phone lit up, and he nearly collapsed with relief.

 _'in ajungle'_

Okay, so he couldn't buy or steal Esuna. What should he do? Genesis needed to be the one with all the answers now, and Kunsel only had so much time.. He swiftly sent a reply, trying to be as direct as possible.

 _'You need to make an antidote. Do you have an empty bottle? Empty a potion or ether if you have to.'_

He stared at the screen when no immediate reply came. This was taking too long.

 _'I'm calling.'_

The phone buzzed with a text before he could select the call button.

 _'Dont call. cant talk. Ninja stll out there.'_

Genesis swore and dragged a hand down his face. The phone buzzed again.

 _'got bottle.'_

All right. They would have make do.

With more patience than he knew he possessed, Genesis talked Kunsel through collecting and assembling all of the ingredients. Making an antidote from scratch wasn't easy, and relaying the instructions by text only made it more difficult.

Every time he got a message Genesis stared at the screen and feared it would be the last. What if the poison killed Kunsel? What if the ninjas found him and finished the job? How would they even know what had happened to him?

Every wait was excruciating, and he paced backwards and forwards across his carpet, on the verge of pulling his hair out.

Each reply took longer than the one before. The messages grew progressively clumsier, the spelling and grammar steadily dropping away.

Finally, what felt like hours later, the antidote should have been complete – assuming the drugged and confused Kunsel had made it correctly.

There was no reply.

Twenty minutes went by. The silence stretched on, and the phone stayed dark. Genesis sat on the edge of his bed and put his head in his hands.

He didn't know what to do.

The phone rang. He rocketed to his feet again, scrambling to answer the call.

"Genesis, it's me. I'm alright–" Kunsel's voice filtered through the speakers.

"What about the ninja? Are you dying? Did it work?" Genesis asked, frantic for answers and overwhelmed with relief at the knowledge that he was still alive.

"The antidote worked, but one of the ninjas found me. I used the last of my reserves to cast Firaga at him and knocked myself out."

Genesis shut his eyes in relief.

Then they snapped open again in a flood of anger.

"You idiot!" he yelled, absolutely furious with the Second. "What were you thinking? No Esuna? _No antidotes_? And letting a ninja poison you! You call yourself a SOLDIER? You brainless excuse for a Second, how dare you!"

He didn't even hear half of what he was saying, but it felt good just to be able to yell. He sank to the edge of the bed again when he'd run out of insults, practically deflating.

"Thank you, sir," Kunsel said when Genesis fell silent, "for saving my life."

He'd taken the yelling with good grace. It was just as well because if he had objected Genesis might have started back up again.

"Don't do that again," he said hoarsely, unsure where his composure had fled to. "Please."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are all tremendously appreciated._

 _Next Time: final chapter._


	3. Chapter 3

"It's this exit here," Genesis said, looking down the long and winding ravine. A crack in the wall filled with crawling vines and flowering tropical plants veered off to the right. The air was hot and humid with very little wind.

"The guide said turn left," Kunsel said, stubbornly facing the main body of the ravine, veering off to the left.

"Perhaps he did, but we need to go right."

"Then why did he say left?" Kunsel insisted.

Despite having both been in SOLDIER for years now, this was the first time Genesis and Kunsel were sent on a mission together. It was proving more difficult than anticipated.

Genesis crossed his arms.

"I have the map, and I say right," he said, lifting his chin.

"I'm the translator, and the guide said left," Kunsel said, giving him a dry look through his helmet. Genesis could tell, despite the shiny surface of the helmet reflecting his own unimpressed face back at him.

"You barely understood a word the guide said," he objected.

"It's a rare dialect," Kunsel allowed, "but he repeated 'left' over and over again. There was no missing that part."

Genesis pursed his lips and looked down the winding ravine.

The mission had taken them to a tiny island, thousands of miles away from the nearest continent, with a population that had probably peaked at twelve. As it turned out, the guide Lazard arranged to meet them spoke only the native language because the Director was hopelessly inept, and Genesis didn't even know why he was surprised.

Fortunately, Kunsel was familiar with a similar dialect – somehow – Genesis had just stopped asking at this point. Kunsel managed to translate at least some of the instructions. Still, there were enough differences between the two dialects for Genesis to be deeply sceptical. He had a mind for languages himself and knew perfectly well that 'similar enough' often doubled for 'hopelessly different'.

To further sabotage their mission, the guide had strictly refused to go further inland past a certain point. The man shouted and gestured and waved his arms like a madman, but he would not step beyond some arbitrary goalpost. Genesis had considered just slinging the guide over his shoulder and carrying him the rest of the way, but the man had descended into hysterics and wouldn't be of much use anyway.

"It's definitely left," Kunsel said, with that irritating, know-it-all tone of voice he reserved for moments like these.

"No, it isn't." He held the map and could easily see the correct route. They needed to turn right and follow the crack in the ravine until they reached the waterfall. Simple.

"Yes, it is," Kunsel said. "I am certain we need to go this way."

Damnit all. Genesis looked down the main ravine. It was an easy route, no vicious wildlife, just following a picturesque, albeit poisonous stream, as it cut its way through the vibrant countryside. If it was wrong, it wouldn't be hard to double back.

Kunsel usually knew what he was on about.

Genesis sighed deeply.

"If you're wrong, then you are carrying both packs for the rest of this entire mission," he said.

"Yes, sir." Kunsel lowered his head, almost certainly hiding a smile of victory behind that helmet.

"Hurry up, SOLDIER," he said, striding forwards down the left route, stowing the map and holding his head high. "We have places to be."

Kunsel scuttled along behind him and absolutely did not chuckle.

They made good progress. There was something of a path that fell and rose with the walls of the ravine and they followed it leisurely.

They had been marching for just over thirty minutes when the ravine came to an unexpected end. The source of the stream was a large spring before them, surrounded by waist high grass and stinging nettles. Beyond it, the mouth of a dark cave gaped open.

It smelled putrid.

The toxic fumes pouring out were practically visible. Genesis made a face and tried not to gag. Kunsel coughed inside his helmet. The stench of rot, disease, and dead things baking in the tropical sun hung heavy in the air.

A roar reverberated through the still ravine, and the smell grew far stronger.

The largest malboro Genesis had ever seen slithered out of the cave. A second roar split the air, and another overly large malboro sat up in the grass, followed by a third. Two more stood in the entrance of the cave.

Genesis sent Kunsel his most withering scowl.

"You're certain this is the correct way, are you?"

The Second cleared his throat. "There is a chance the guide was telling us _not_ to go left."

The largest malboro roared again, and then launched itself at the intruders. They both dropped their packs and leapt aside, drawing their weapons as they dashed away to avoid both the tentacles and poisonous breath it spewed.

What followed was the sort of fight that nobody would be proud of.

Any single malboro had nearly one hundred limbs, and half so many eyes on the ends of long stalks. Fighting in a nest of the damn things meant a sticky bombardment of grasping green tentacles and wide blinking eyes flying through the air.

Fire roared along Genesis' blade and the malboros spewed poisonous gas back at him. Kunsel was doing something with ice that slowed them down dramatically and made the tentacles easy to shatter. But no matter what they did there were always more, from every direction, endless grasping tentacles and rows of gleaming teeth.

Finally, Genesis lost patience with the confusion and simply cast Apocalypse over the entire nest.

With a scowl he flicked burnt malboro remains out of his hair. He spun in place, looking for Kunsel, with a truly calamitous dressing-down on the edge of his tongue.

Kunsel was crouching in the grass, messing around with something

"SOLDIER Second Class Kunsel," Genesis snapped, sorely tempted to throw a fireball at him.

"I'll be just a minute," he called back, waving a tentacle in the air before going back to his pack.

"What _are_ you doing?" Genesis marched over but then paused at the sight. "Is the sun getting to you, SOLDIER?" His lips turned down in a frown that was as confused as it was disgusted.

Kunsel looked up from jamming dismembered malboro limbs into his pack. They kept wriggling back out, the nerves still twitching and the suction cups latching onto whatever they touched.

"These things sell like hotcakes in Mideel," he said, examining a scorched tentacle and then trading it for a slimier one.

" _Why_?" Genesis wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know, but he asked anyway.

Kunsel shrugged. "Regional delicacy. They're very expensive, and apparently delicious. Three thousand gil a pop."

He crammed a smaller limb into the side pocket of his pack. The movement knocked one out from the main pocket and it latched onto his arm with a _slurp_. Genesis took a step back.

"They'll have started to rot by the time we get back to the mainland," he said, eyeing the pack with scorn. "And under no circumstances will I be flying back to Midgar alongside a bag full of rotting tentacles."

"Don't worry, malboro limbs can last for up to three weeks before they need to be refrigerated."

"Why do you know that—you know what? No. I don't want to know." He threw his hands up and marched away. "I refuse to be involved in your tentacle smuggling."

Kunsel snorted, and Genesis fetched his own pack, muttering about the clearly unstable people he was forced to work with. Then a thought occurred to him, and he slowly turned back around, his eyes narrowing on the other SOLDIER.

"You weren't, by any chance, _planning_ on encountering malboros out here, were you?" he asked politely.

Kunsel stiffened, but kept his head down.

"I've got room in my pack," he replied neutrally, "I can't let all of this go to waste."

"Of course not," Genesis drawled, strolling back across the nest with false lightness, "but did the guide mention a nest of malboros?"

"Uh, not sure," Kunsel said, his helmet inscrutable.

"Kunsel," Genesis snarled, stalking forwards.

"Oh, hey look, a summon materia!" The Second Class pointed and then took off into the cave.

"Get back here, you little–"

Kunsel reappeared at the mouth of the cave and held out a red orb.

Genesis looked between Kunsel and the materia with deep suspicion.

"What do you think it is?" Kunsel asked.

After a moment's silence, he grudgingly marched over and plucked it out of his hand, because if anyone was going to be passing judgement over materia it would be Genesis.

"Any idea?"

He closed his eyes and felt through the currents of the materia, fully expecting something pathetic and undignified, like chocomog. The life within the materia pulsed in response to his searching and his eyes shot open.

"It's…" He swallowed, looking at the unassuming orb in his hand. "Knights of the Round."

"You mean… the most powerful summon on the planet?" Kunsel asked, wonder in his voice.

"Yes. Yes, it is." He held it up to the sun and looked through the swirling red depths. A sharp smile cut across his face.

"Well," Kunsel clapped his hands together. "Fancy that." He turned back to his malboro limbs.

Genesis stored the materia in his bracer, pausing to admire the new addition to his arsenal, and wandered back through the empty nest. Perhaps this diversion wasn't a complete waste.

His eyes landed on Kunsel, still collecting tentacles, and he gave a considering hum. He picked up his pack from the entrance of the clearing and swung it as he walked.

"Don't pack too heavy," he said, "you've already got a lot of luggage." He dumped his pack at Kunsel's feet with a smile and then strolled back to the path. "Do try to keep up. We still have places to be."

* * *

1.37pm: _'I need Lazard to not be in his office for the next twenty minutes.'_

1:39pm _: 'How convenient, I need someone to cover my training session with the infantry tomorrow morning.'_

1:39pm: _'All that awaits you is a sombre morrow, no matter where the winds may blow…'_

1:42pm _: 'I'm on a collision course with Lazard. If only I wasn't so concerned about training the infantry, then I might have the presence of mind to distract him.'_

1:43pm: ' _…Legend shall speak of sacrifice at world's end'_

1:47pm: _'Lazard has been redirected to Heidegger's office. You have an hour.'_

1:48pm: _'Much obliged. Your troopers will know the pain of true training.'_

1:50pm: _'Oh goddess, what have I done.'_

1:51pm: _'My friend, the fates are cruel.'_

* * *

"I'm glad you've taken a student, Genesis," Angeal said, leaning back against the simulated wall of the VR room. "I think it's been good for you."

Genesis looked up from his book and scowled at him.

"You have a student?" Sephiroth asked, standing out on the mako cannon with his sword drawn, several meters away. "And you haven't murdered him yet?"

Genesis snapped his book shut.

"You know perfectly well I don't have the patience for the mentorship program."

"What about that Second you keep texting?" Angeal said with a knowing smile.

"Don't be absurd," he scoffed and flicked his hair. "That's quality control, at most."

"Zack said you were helping improve his swordsmanship," Angeal said.

"I object to incompetence," he hedged.

"There's no shame in it," Sephiroth said, examining the glint of the sun on his blade. "If you think teaching the Seconds is the best use of your skills–"

"Are you here to fight or to gossip like a bored fangirl?" Genesis snapped, stepping forward and drawing his sword.

Sephiroth held his sword off to the side with a patronizing smile, offering him the first strike.

"Don't take Sephiroth lightly," Angeal said.

"Noted." Genesis charged.

* * *

"Can you get between floors?" Genesis asked, studying the blueprint closely.

"Not without using the elevator shafts, and I wouldn't recommend that," Kunsel replied, taking the last gulp of his too sweet and too milky drink. Genesis had scowled at the coffee Kunsel made and then lectured him on the 'correct' way to imbibe caffeine.

The blueprints spread out over Genesis' coffee table had been liberated from the Urban Development archives, courtesy of Kunsel and a convenient friend of his in internal security. The two SOLDIERs studied the vent system that meandered through almost the entirety of Shinra HQ.

"It's embarrassing how easy it is to evade security," Genesis said, narrowing his eyes at the rolled out papers.

Kunsel yawned and nodded in agreement. How had impromptu training in the afternoon turned into a 3am snooping session?

"You still need the security clearance to get up to the top floors, but there are entrances to the vent system in the ceilings of every level."

Genesis spun the blueprint around to face him. "Even the Science Department. Fancy that."

"Actually not, the grates in the Science Department are bolted shut." Kunsel tried very hard not to think about the month he had spent guarding the Science Department as an infantryman. That stuff had given him nightmares for years.

"Of course they are," Genesis said darkly, rolling his shoulder.

"Any other weaknesses in Shinra's security system you wanted to know about?" Kunsel asked.

Genesis sifted through the pages, knocking half of them onto the floor. Shinra HQ was huge, and the design wasn't simple. Kunsel watched as he scowled through the pile of blueprints. The First Class was pricklier than normal tonight.

"What about circuit breakers? The alarm system?"

"Too many redundancies." Kunsel shook his head. "It's nearly impossible to disable the entire thing."

"And there really is no other way to the higher levels besides the restricted elevator?" Genesis said, rubbing his shoulder and frowning at the ceiling. "That sounds like a fire hazard." His fingers tapped out a tune against the coffee table and tiny sparks ran along the backs of his knuckles, his mastered materia all too easily activated.

"There's always the helipad, I suppose," Kunsel said, moving the blueprints out of range of the sparks.

"Hmm." Genesis was still scowling.

"Are you–" he began, then faltered and regathered his nerve. "Genesis, are you alright?"

The thrumming of his fingers against the table paused.

"Do I not look alright?" Genesis asked, quietly, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

Kunsel knew a trap when he saw one. But he also knew that Genesis wasn't normally this pale, or this angry, without a reason.

"You look like you need help."

"When I need help, I will ask for it," he replied, his voice a threatening low tone.

"Yes, sir."

Kunsel looked away. His eyes landed on the blueprints. Top secret documents, the sort that Shinra's enemies would kill for, and the sort that would get you executed if you were found with them. 'Why' was a question the two of them didn't normally ask. If Genesis wanted to know something, Kunsel would tell him. If Kunsel needed something, Genesis would get it, no questions asked, no context necessary. It was straight forward and uncomplicated.

He looked up and saw Genesis' hand reflexively pressed against his shoulder again.

This was no longer uncomplicated.

"Remember when I got poisoned?" Kunsel asked.

"Do you mean your episode of idiocy in Wutai?" he replied with a dry voice and a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, that." He scratched the back of his neck, then rearranged his helmet. Genesis watched, waiting for him to get to the point with bad patience. He steeled himself and looked the First Class in the eye.

"If I hadn't asked you for help, that poison would have killed me."

"Your point?" Genesis asked, his head tilted forward and his hair half covering his eyes.

"Do you need help?"

Genesis stared at him. "Get out," he ground out.

"What?"

He stood, impossibly tall and imposing, "Get your nose out of my business and _get out!"_

There was a rush of magic that threw Kunsel backwards off the couch, followed by a fireball he barely ducked.

Half a second later, he was on his backside outside of Genesis' apartment with the door slammed in his face.

He could hear angry murmuring from inside the apartment and the low crackling of a dying fire on the wallpaper behind him. He awkwardly staggered to his feet, feeling bruised and tired, and looked at the closed door.

He shook his head and then shuffled away with no idea of what he should do now or where he should even start.

Did Genesis really believe he hadn't hacked into the VR room cameras?

* * *

Genesis slammed his fist against his window and swore. The reinforced glass cracked but didn't break.

He spun away, further curses on his lips and a sharp ache in his shoulder. He ran a hand through his hair, then stopped and fixed the damage he'd just done to his fringe.

He was going to abandon Shinra. It was all planned. Everything was arranged. He would disappear, taking Hollander and a third of SOLDIER with him before returning to wage his own war against Shinra in recompense for his degradation. Hollander would find his cure, and Shinra would know his vengeance.

There was just one problem: Kunsel had gone missing.

Kunsel had not been part of his plans. There was no precise reason why – he had offered to help Genesis after all. He told himself it was for Kunsel's protection, deserting Shinra was going to be deadly, thankless work. He also had some vague notions about convincing him to stay behind and play the double agent for him. It wasn't because he didn't want him to see the things he had planned, the measures Shinra would force him to. It wasn't because he didn't want someone who looked up to him, someone who respected him, to see the monstrous truth of his existence. There was no room for regret when it came to waging a war.

But none of that mattered if Kunsel wasn't actually there.

It had been well over a week since anyone had seen him. Genesis had thrown him out of his apartment, perhaps unkindly but the brat wasn't made of porcelain, and hadn't caught sight of him since.

He hadn't said a word. Not to Genesis, not to Zack. And most alarming of all, he wasn't even answering his phone. Kunsel would answer his phone even while locked in battle against a pack of grandhorns.

Genesis had meant to desert on Friday. It was Sunday, and he was nearly pulling his hair out with frustration.

Was he hurt? The incident with the poison drifted through his mind. Kunsel might need help; he might be injured somewhere beyond the phone grid, and Genesis didn't even know where he was. Had he been kidnapped? Maybe someone had figured out that he had stolen company secrets, like the blueprints. Maybe the Science Department–

No. If the Science Department was to blame he would have been listed as killed in action. So far he wasn't even missing in action, because he had reams of unspent holiday and Genesis had stayed to cover for him so Kunsel wouldn't be accused of desertion. The irony was not lost on him.

He spun back to the window, reflexively holding his shoulder as he looked out at the hazy city below, couched within the smog. This couldn't go on though. Something had to be done. Genesis just didn't know what.

The door behind him slammed open.

Kunsel stood in the doorway, looking filthy and slightly crazed, in a torn uniform and holding a manila folder with a death grip.

Genesis sped across the room and grabbed his shoulders. He didn't know if he wanted to hug the Second or set him on fire.

Instead, he yelled at him and shook him like a ragdoll. "Where have you been? Are you hurt? How dare you get hurt! What were you thinking? Why didn't you say something, who do you think you are?"

He put him back down again, and swiftly checked him over for injuries. Kunsel moved limply, letting Genesis blast him in the face with a full cure spell. He may have also attempted to set him on fire, but Kunsel's shield materia was a lot stronger than it used to be so it was no matter.

Kunsel held out the folder he had clutched to his chest.

"Sephiroth," he said.

"What?" What did Sephiroth have to do with anything?

"Sephiroth is the cure," Kunsel said, slightly out of breath.

Genesis froze.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, knowing full well what he was talking about.

"The degradation. S-cells will fix it."

Genesis stepped back and shook his head, feeling exposed. "Hollander said Sephiroth's cells aren't compatible."

"He's lying. He won't tell you the truth because that means Hojo won. He'll let you die before he admits that."

Genesis felt like he'd been doused with icy water. He stepped forward with his eyes narrowed. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Here." Kunsel shoved the folder at him, and he caught it before it could fall. "This is everything there is on the Jenova Project. Well, some of it. These are the important parts."

"Where did you find this?"

"Nibelheim," he said with a shrug. "And Junon. The Science Department archives."

Genesis looked down at it, the plain brown folder that contained everything there was to know about his cursed existence. And the cure…

His eyes snapped back up to Kunsel, glaring at the shiny surface of the helmet.

"So you want me to do what? Go crawling to Sephiroth, begging for pity?" he spat. "Ask him to share his perfection with me? To graciously grant me mercy, to fix my broken genes?"

Kunsel's shoulder's slumped. There was a dull throbbing pain in his own shoulder.

Then Kunsel reached up, his hands grasping the metal edge of his helmet. He pulled it off and dropped the helmet on the ground next to him.

Genesis stilled. Mako blue eyes looked back at him from a thin, pained face with a smattering of light freckles across his cheeks and dirty brown hair messy from being eternally crushed under a helmet.

"No, sir," he said. "I want you to not die."

Genesis called Sephiroth.

The End

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated.


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